insight WINTER 2010
e -n e ws letter
Look inside to see how communities around the country are putting a stop to smoking
of FDA regulations – activities we’ll engage in in other communities across the country next year. NAATPN trainings occurred in States from New York to Hawaii, and we taught an enthusiastic group about tobacco and social justice at the Institute 2010 in Atlanta. And, while most of the year involved engaging the media around our continued efforts to get menthol removed from all tobacco products, the end of the year comes with us facing opposition for these very efforts.
a message from the
Executive Director As we head into this Holiday season, it becomes clearer that we are nearing the end of another year in tobacco control. It’s a time for reflection – a time to review any accomplishments and to set goals for the challenges in the coming year. It’s been an amazing year for NAATPN! The organization turned 10 years old in 2010. To celebrate, we held a golf tournament, hosted a banquet, and presented our two organizational awards for the first time since they were presented to those whom the awards were named. We expanded our advisory and executive Boards, retooled staff, and continued to grow our network despite the economic challenges that impact us all. NAATPN established new partnerships with the tobacco control stakeholders in our home state of North Carolina, and will be focused on its college campuses, churches, youth and the impact
In October, three national Black organizations (Congress of Racial Equality, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives and the National Black Chamber of Commerce) made public statements against the efforts to remove menthol from cigarettes. One might wonder why these organizations would have anything to say about tobacco, but when the first layer of their onion skin is peeled back, it doesn’t take long to see how much money each of them has received over the years from the tobacco industry. This is a decades old approach that has been resurrected as the FDA nears the time when they are required to make recommendations about menthol as a tobacco ingredient to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Stay tuned, as we continue our efforts into the New Year, because we still believe the removal of menthol from tobacco is the one thing that can be done to eliminate the greatest number of health disparities that currently exist from tobacco use. I hope you enjoy this edition as we highlight a property management company that mandates smoke-free residences, a program of one of our new North Carolina partners- the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund, and the Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network. We continue with our CDC Corner, and are sharing some information about the new “O”/Bama cigarettes that are being sold in Florida. As we reflect on the many accomplishments, we realize that new challenges always lie ahead when you’re in this movement. Enjoy the beginning of your Holiday season, and if we don’t see or talk with you before, have a Happy New Year!
Asante` Sana! (T hank You!)
Smoke-Free Living Barrington Place Apartments
By Kerry Burch
Tobacco Free Today, 2010, Mecklenburg County Health Department, North Carolina With the passage of House Bill 2 and other previous bills, smoking in public places is becoming a thing of the past. Private homes and residences are some of the few places in which tobacco use is unrestricted. However, there are a few communities across the country that have implemented smokefree living policies to protect residents from secondhand smoke exposure and from the danger of cigarette-related fires. Barrington Place Apartments in Charlotte has successfully implemented a smoke-free living policy and residents are enjoying the many benefits. The smoke-free policy at Barrington Place Apartments was implemented on July 1, 2008, in response to a recent increase in cigarette-related fires on the property. During a one-year period, nine fires occurred resulting in $50,000 in damages. Teresa Sandman, Vice President of Property Management explained that before a ban could be considered, it was critical that current residents be given an opportunity to voice their opinions. A survey was distributed to residents asking them a range of questions from willingness to go outside to smoke, if the smell of smoke was a bother, and if they had concerns about fires. The majority of the surveys showed support for a ban on smoking with some residents noting that smoke from adjacent units permeated into their living space. While smoking inside was bothersome, smoking outside in the breezeway was also something that residents were not pleased with. Property managers noticed a trend in people choosing to smoke outside of their apartment rather than inside. While this did help the indoor air quality, other residents were exposed to the smoke as they would come and go. In addition, these common areas became a collection place for discarded cigarette butts. The ban, which applies to all rental units and common areas such as the building breezeways, the pool, playground, and clubhouse, was phased in gradually. All new residents signing leases on or after July 1, 2008, were required to comply with the new regulations. For residents already living in the Barrington Place Apartments, they had to comply with the ban in the common areas, but the ban on smoking inside the rental unit did not apply until their lease was up for renewal. What has been the response to this new ban? Ms. Sandman says the residents have been overwhelmingly supportive, and rather than dealing with complaints from residents about the ban, Barrington Place Apartments has received a lot of positive feedback. It has even become a selling point for the community!
With any ban, once the implementation phase is over, the next challenge becomes enforcement. Residents may report if they see someone smoking in a prohibited area or if they suspect someone smoking in their unit. The first step after a violation is to give the individual a written notice. Subsequent complaints result in increasing fines and possible eviction. Any and all fines collected will be donated to the American Lung Association. While charitable donations may be welcome, property managers have not had any issues enforcing the ban. The ease of this transition should come as no surprise as property managers have made thoughtful efforts to create safe and accessible places for smokers. Ms. Sandman’s philosophy was “when you take something away, you’ve got to give something back.” To give back, Barrington Place Apartments invested nearly $10,000 in the property
to post smoke-free living signs and to create designated smoking areas that are handicap accessible, well lit, and offer receptacles for used butts. The money initially invested to establish smoke-free living at Barrington Place Apartments is off-set by the savings in cleaning costs. When a resident moves out, the vacant unit is thoroughly cleaned and prepared for new residents. The average cost of cleaning a unit lived in by a non-smoker is $1,000 - $2,000 less than cleaning a unit lived in by a smoker.
Tailoring to Different Cultures: HWTF Heritage Toolkit
Tobacco use poses a greater burden on minority, low income and low literacy populations. The NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund recognized that tobacco has a different use and meaning to people of various cultures and economic backgrounds. For example, tobacco users from low socio-economic populations are 40 percent more likely to smoke than those from higher socio-economic groups. To help address this disparity, HWTF developed a Heritage Toolkit. The materials contained within the toolkit are for Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation funded organizations so that they can work with diverse populations in a meaningful way. The toolkit is internet-based and provides users with resources to facilitate the planning and implementation of culturally tailored tobacco control activities. The toolkit includes educational materials in the form of fact sheets, Power Point Presentations, press releases and print media. In addition, the toolkit provides access to publicly available resources from leading tobacco control organizations and networks. To access the toolkit go to: http://www.healthwellnc.com/TUPCHERITAGETOOLKIT/WELCOME.HTML
About the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund
The NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund makes North Carolina stronger, both physically and economically, by funding programs that promote preventive health. Established by the General Assembly in 2001 to allocate a portion of North Carolina’s share of the national tobacco settlement, HWTF has invested $199 million to support preventive health initiatives and $102 million to fund prescription drug assistance programs. For more information, please visit www.HealthWellNC.com.
Smoking link to ectopic pregnancy - BBC News, September 29, 2010
A chemical in cigarette smoke has been found to cause a reaction which can lead to ectopic pregnancies, according to Edinburgh scientists. Research from experts at Edinburgh University said Cotinine triggered a reaction which increased a protein in the Fallopian tubes. They said the protein, called PROKR1, raised the risk of an egg implanting outside the womb. Details of the study were published in the American Journal of Pathology. PROKR1 allows pregnancies to implant correctly inside the womb, but its presence in the Fallopian tubes is believed to increase the risks of this happening outside the womb. The study found that women who smoked and developed an ectopic pregnancy had twice as much PROKR1 in their Fallopian tubes as women who did not smoke and had previously had a healthy pregnancy. Researchers believe that too much of the protein prevents the muscles in the walls of the Fallopian tubes from contracting, which in turn hinders the transfer of the egg to the womb. Dr Andrew Horne, of the university’s centre for reproductive biology, said: “This research provides scientific evidence so that we can understand why women who smoke are more at risk of ectopic pregnancies and how smoking impacts on reproductive health. “While it may be easy to understand why inhalation of smoke affects the lungs, this shows that components of cigarette smoke also enter the blood stream and affect seemingly unconnected parts of the body like the reproductive tract.” The study, funded by Wellbeing of Women, analysed tissue samples from female smokers and non-smokers, and from women who had previously had ectopic and healthy pregnancies. Smoking is thought to increase the risk of an ectopic pregnancy by up to four times. There are more than 30,000 ectopic pregnancies in the UK each year, with the egg implanting in the Fallopian tube in 98% of cases. This can cause the tube to rupture and lead to internal bleeding and fertility problems in the future. Around one in 50 pregnancies in the western world is ectopic. The condition is the leading cause of maternal mortality in the first three months of pregnancy.
Wisconsin’s new smoke-free law brings hope to African-American Communities If you walk into a Wisconsin bar or restaurant today as opposed to earlier this year, you will notice a significant difference: The smell of smoke is gone. On July 5, 2010, Wisconsin implemented a smoke-free law that prohibits smoking in most public places. Governor Jim Doyle signed the legislation, which passed with little opposition, into law. After deliberating, lawmakers, smoking-free advocates, the Tavern League of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Restaurant Association worked to come to agreements for the proposed law. When the legislation passed, Wisconsin united with other states, such as Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois, in establishing statewide bans.
For Celeste Hoze, a 59-year-old smoker for 44 years, the smoke-free law means hope for Wisconsin communities. “I support it because I think it’s wise for people to not to start smoking in the first place,” she said. Hoze is optimistic about the law because after trying to quit 10 times, she knows the challenges of quitting all to well. “I can stop for three weeks or so and then start up again, and I don’t know why; I just do.” The last time she tried to quit she believes she experienced some success, but after gaining 25 pounds, she eventually started smoking again. A habit that started in college has lasted more than four decades, and because of her experiences, Hoze volunteers with the WAATPN. “I’ve always been the type of person who likes to volunteer and share my time, and I think this opportunity is a way for me to share my experiences with others. I’m hoping this connection will help me make the commitment to quitting forever.”
A major purpose of the law is to protect workers and consumers from the known dangers of secondhand smoke. Wisconsin has more than 915, 000 smokers, and each year nearly 7,000 people die from smokingrelated causes and another 751 people die from secondhand smoke. The new law is a progression in the right direction, but Wisconsin has more work to do.
By Lorraine Lathen, M.A.
To help the thousands of African Americans like Hoze, WAATPN is working to fulfill its mission of eliminating tobacco-related health disparities and addressing unequal marketing practices. The network is building its membership in Wisconsin’s African American communities through outreach and education such as events, social network marketing and media advocacy.
October 19, 2010
Although annual tax collections from smokers are at an alltime high ($696 million from June 2009 to May 2010), less than one percent of that revenue is allocated to providing services to treat and prevent tobacco addiction. States that have reduced tobacco control funding, such as Florida and Massachusetts, have had increased smoking rates; Wisconsin risks following that path. The smoking law and the work of tobacco-free coalitions like the Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network make change for African American residents in Wisconsin promising.
Lorraine Lathen is president of Jump at the Sun Consultants, LLC. She and Pastor Lee Shaw of St. Gabriel’s Church of God in Christ are the conveners of the Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network (WAATPN).
The CDC Corner The National African American Tobacco Prevention Network (NAATPN) is one of six CDC funded networks that engages national and statewide partners in tobacco control and prevention activities in Black communities. In its role, NAATPN maintains and strengthens its national network by:
• • • •
facilitating learning and information sharing assessing the impact of tobacco within disparate populations identifying gaps in data, interventions or evaluations facilitating activities and programs that address each
NAATPN’s National Network is open to any individual or organization that is willing to assist in decreasing the impact of tobacco in Black communities.
The 2009 National Youth Tobacco Survey released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides further evidence that the United States has made dramatic progress in reducing youth smoking, but the rate of decline has slowed significantly in recent years. Like other recent surveys, this survey sends an unmistakable message to elected officials at all levels: We know how to win the fight against tobacco – the nation’s number one cause of preventable death – but our progress is at risk unless we resist complacency and step up efforts to implement proven strategies. These include well-funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs, higher tobacco taxes, smoke-free air laws, and effective regulation of tobacco products and marketing. Our nation is at a crossroads in the fight against tobacco. If elected leaders provide the resources and political will to aggressively implement these solutions, we can achieve one of the greatest public health victories in our nation’s history. If they fail to do so, the nation’s progress against tobacco could end and even be reversed. Between 2000 and 2009, cigarette smoking rates declined by 39 percent among high school students (from 28 percent to 17.2 percent who have smoked in the past 30 days) and by 53 percent among middle school students (from 11 percent to 5.2 percent). There were also large declines in the percentages of high school and middle school students who were current users of any tobacco products or who had ever experimented with cigarettes. Between 2006, when the survey was last conducted, and 2009, the survey found that smoking rates declined from 19.8 percent to 17.2 percent among high school students and from 6.3 percent to 5.2 percent among middle school students. However, the CDC reported that these overall declines were not statistically significant, although there were statistically significant declines in smoking among both high school and middle school girls. Why have smoking declines slowed in recent years? The CDC and other experts have cited several factors, including large cuts in funding
for state tobacco prevention and cessation programs and the tobacco industry’s continued heavy spending to market its deadly and addictive products. Between 2008 and 2010, states cut funding for tobacco prevention programs by 21 percent, from $717.7 million to $567.5 million. In contrast, the tobacco companies spent $12.8 billion on marketing in 2006 (the latest year for which data are available), and the bulk of it is spent on price discounting that has kept cigarette prices flat despite tax increases. The challenge for elected leaders today is to finally fight tobacco use with the political will and resources that match the scope of the problem. All levels of government must do more: At the federal level, the FDA must effectively exercise its new authority to regulate the manufacturing, marketing and sale of tobacco products. In addition, the Obama Administration and Congress must implement a national tobacco prevention and cessation campaign. The Prevention and Public Health Fund created as part of the health care reform law provides one opportunity to do so. The states must use more of the billions of dollars they collect from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes to fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs. In addition, they must continue to increase tobacco taxes and enact comprehensive smoke-free laws that apply to all workplaces and public places. Despite the progress we have made, tobacco use still kills more than 400,000 Americans and costs $96 billion in health care bills each year. We cannot declare victory until we have eliminated the death and disease caused by tobacco. For more information, see web link: PRNewswire August 26, 2010
S T A T ES ystem S t a t e To b a c c o A c t i v i t i e s Tracking & Evaluation
State Smoke-Free Indoor Air Fact Sheet: Day Care Centers Secondhand smoke is particularly harmful to children According to the U.S. Surgeon General, secondhand smoke exposure is hazardous to the health of nonsmoking adults and children. The harmful effects of secondhand smoke on children are especially of concern because their bodies are still developing. Second-hand smoke increases the risk of serious respiratory problems in children, such as more severe asthma attacks and lower respiratory tract infections, as well as middle ear infections.1 Infants who are exposed to secondhand smoke are more susceptible to sudden infant death syndrome, the leading cause of mortality among infants ages 1 to 12 months.2 Reductions in secondhand smoke exposure have been slower to take place among children than among adults during the last decade. Expanding workplace smoking restrictions now protect the majority of adults, while day care centers, homes, and vehicles remain the
most common place of exposure for children. It is estimated that nearly a quarter of children under age five spend a substantial part of their week (32 hours on average) in commercial or homebased day care.3 According to the U.S. Surgeon General’s 2006 report, there is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke, and even the use of designated smoking areas or separately ventilated smoking areas do not protect individuals from the harmful effects of smoke.1 Thus, the establishment of designated or separately ventilated areas for day care centers is not sufficient to reduce children’s exposure to secondhand smoke. Additionally, although smoking when children are not present in a day care center prevents immediate exposure to secondhand smoke, tobacco smoke lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished.4
States with Smoke-free Indoor Air Laws for Home-based and Commercial Day Care Centers (n=51; laws in effect as of December 31, 2009)
1
2 3 4
Ban in both locations at all times (n=11)
Contains a restriction, but does not ban at all times in either location (n=16)
Ban in one location at all times (n=16)
No restriction (n=8)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The health consequences of involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke: a report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coordinating Center for Health Promotion, national Center for Chronic Disease Pre-vention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2006. Markowitz S. The effectiveness of cigarette regulations in reducing cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. J Health Econ 2008;27(1):106–33. Overturf Johnson J. Who’s minding the kids? Child care arrangements: Winter 2002. Curr Popul Rep 2005:P70–101. California Environmental Protection Agency. Proposed identification of environmental tobacco smoke as a toxic air contaminant [online]. 2005. [cited 2008 Nov 6]. Available from: http://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/ets/ets.htm.
CONTACT US
OUR STAFF
National African American Tobacco Prevention Network 400 West Main Street Suite 415 Durham, NC 27701 T 919-680-4000 F 919-680-4004 1-888-7NAATPN thenetwork@naatpn.org
William S. Robinson, MA Executive Director Durham, NC
La Tanisha Wright National States Director Irving, TX
Latia White Administrative Assistant Durham, NC
E’lisha Simmons Director of Finance Summerville, SC
WHAT IS NAATPN?
The National African American Tobacco Prevention Network is a non-profit organization launched in 1999. NAATPN’s Technical Assistance and Training program speaks to the very heart of tradition and culture and strives to provide the organizational development, grassroots organizing, and tobacco advocacy expertise necessary to take on tobacco challenges for communities of color.
MISSION
To serve as a national organization dedicated to facilitating the development and implementation of comprehensive and community competent tobacco control programs to benefit communities and people of African descent.
Kara Endsley Communications Consultant Raleigh, NC
NAATPN’S “Village” Membership and “Fun”-Raising
Are you interested in doing even more to help our communities be as healthy as they can be? NAATPN has membership levels and benefits based on the seven principles of Kwanzaa. Membership in NAATPN is a great way to support tobacco control; and join the fight against the deceptive tactics of the tobacco industry. We invite you to become an active part of “the village” and choose the membership level that fits you. Also, check out our “Dancing for Dollars” campaign. We’re asking for one dollar from every person to help fund tobacco education, prevention, and cessation programs. For more information on becoming a member of NAATPN, visit our website at www.naatpn.org or call 1-888-7NAATPN for more information.